New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-15
A NEV SITUATION IN IRELAND.
THE GOVERNMENT TO STRIKE THROUGH
1UE PEIESIHOOD.
ALLEGED COOPERATION or MONsIGNOR PERsICO
AND SEVERAL IRiSH BISHOPS TO SUBDUE
TIE NAIIGNAIISrS AND MAKE PEACE.
IBY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.
lGht 1887 By The Ne,o. York Tribune.

lBY CABLE TRIBUNE
CopyrfGht : 1887 BY The NeU.lOrk Tribune
LONDON, Dec. 1.-The following con munica.
tion has reached me through a person in London
whose position and character lend it a special inn
portance. IL will appear tomorrow in United
Ireland" and form the text of It's first leader
You will see at once the great gravity OF It's I'M
port:
Unionst circles here in London greatly elaed at
present strUke of policy which 1t Is confidently
predicted will relieve the Irish Government from ali
difficulties is freely asserted that the Govern
ncnt have succeeded at last in securing the oopcra
ion Of MOns gnor Persico well of a few prominent
irish bishops Mons Persico, II is said, has under
aiken to control the Irish priesthood and prevent them
1Om opposing the action OF the Executive, no matter
low extreme 1t may be- In consideration for this
service the statement is that the Government have
undertaken 1) to endOw richly Catholic university
Ard C) receive envoy from the Pope and 10 schd
IN ambassador to the Vatican.
Tie Unionists loudly boast that this arrangement
will enable them to crush the Nationalist party In
Ireland The programms is that al the troublesome
leaders Of the National movement to be got under
lock and kcy the pr sts TO be scnced and competed
10 leave tho leagues and Irish discomfort to be finally
a,ayed with the cooperation of the Unionis bishops
by a generous endowment to a Catholic university
am Of course, unable to say what amount OF truth
there in this but 1t Is the common talk OF Unonst
circles.
will not presume at this stage to say what
amount Of truth there is in the rumor to which
this correspondent refers. 1t is beyond
question that Government circles arc circulating
this rumor very confidently. United Ireland
tomorrow will treat it basclcss runor put
forward by the Government in their desperate
straits for the purpose OF creating distrust be-
tween the Irish priests and the Irish people, whose
union in this crisis is the most formidable lacI
the Coercionsts have TO contend with
Mr. Balfour cannot 90 on in his present course
anv longer without arresting the priests, and he
breads that. If he is compelled to arrest num-
Der OF popular and respected priests the whole
body OF the Irish clergy will resent this with IN
dgnation and emulate the example ana court
the fate Of their imprisoned brethren. United
Ireland will contend that the Government are
putting forward these rumors with view TO
intimidating the priests at the critical moment
which is at hand. The calculation is that II to
the sufYcrngs Of Imprisonment, which the priests
are ready checrfully to face, were added the Tear
Of the condemnation Of the Holy See. admins
tered through Monsignor Persico and the apprc-
hcnsion that their own bishops were secretly ID
league against them, the strain would prove 700
much for the courage Of the priests to bear At
the critical moment while these ideas were preva-
lent in their minds, Mr.. Balfour might make IL
stroIs~ against thea and they, instead OF holding
their ground, would run away.
That is the alleged calculation which the Gov
crnment have in their minds in spreading these
rllmors which may be baselcss. If the rumors
be true however need not say that the state
Of things revealed as taking place between Mon
signor Pcrsico, the Irish bishops and the Govern
mcnt would mean the precipitation of "a crisis
of the first importance. striking confirmation
of the communication is furnished IN two oppo-
site FORMS One is the leading article Of yes
tcrday's Standard which advocates with great
carncstncss the reception Of papal envoy at the
Court of St. james and whi.h points out that
such an envoy would be of the utmost use III
helping the Government 10 grapplc WIN the IriSh
problem The other Is address TO MonsiSnor
PcIsico which is being circulated for Signature
among English Catholics Of Home Rule syihpa-
thics and which take TO be IL note OF alarm ana
resentment at the rumOr, which these Catholics
have lust encountered in its definite shape III
London society The address is issued by com
mittee consisting Of many influential and eminent
English Catholics among others the
Marquis OF Ripon, the Earl OF Ash
burnham the Earl OF Oxford, Sir
James Marshall, Sir Henry Beddinghcld, George
Blount, Simon Scrope Sir John Kenyon and Lieu
tcnant-Colon Bernard, and it protests in the
most emphatic terms against the action OF certain
influential members OF the Catholic Church In
England whose chief, it is well known, is the
Duke v< Norfolk The Duke Of Norfolk In his